Vegenista

Scroll to Info & Navigation

Tag Results

2 posts tagged bread

Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf

It seems a little late in the season to be cooking with pumpkin, I know. We often equate pumpkin with Halloween & Thanksgiving then put it out of our minds until next year. In fact, that was exactly my line of thinking until 2 little sugar pumpkins showed up in my first of the new year CSA share…

I was a taken aback at first, but pumpkin is a “winter squash” after all, so I should not be surprised. And, it is “technically” winter, however you’d never know it living in sunny So Cal. It had been in the high 70s until a few days ago & this morning we were finally blessed with a sprinkle of rain. Raining mornings are perfect for baking & that was #1 on my agenda for this holiday Monday. I knew just what to do with my little pumpkins - make The PPK’s Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf, with fresh local pumpkin puree. 

I followed the instructions for homemade pumpkin puree from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen.

I seeded, sliced, roasted, peeled & pureed the pumpkin, omitting the final straining step, as my puree seemed the right consistency for my needs. My little pumpkins yielded the perfect amount of puree for the recipe…

Then it was on to making the loaf! I must say that the iPad makes cooking from blog recipes an absolute breeze! No need to squint at the iPhone screen, fuss with the laptop or waste paper. It’s no wonder it made The PPK’s Top 100. I was lucky enough to inherit a first generation iPad from my Grandpa, who passed it on to my Mom, who passed it to me. It’s awesome…

After measuring, mixing, stirring, & 55 minutes of an amazing aroma filling the kitchen air, this…

became this…

Gorgeous scrumptious ooey gooey chocolate pumpkin loaf! Yummy! I forgot the little trick I picked up on the Food Network about coating the chocolate chips in a bit of flour so they will more evenly distribute, but in a way these heavy huddles of chocolate actually make it even more decadent. The pumpkin flavor is very mild & the chocolate is the star. The subtle hints of ginger, nutmeg, clove, & cinnamon are reminiscent of the holiday season that just passed, but lingers in our thoughts. 

Serve warm as dessert with a dollop of cashew creme fraiche, or dip in morning coffee for a sweet & indulgent way to start the day. This bread will be making appearances next holiday, for sure. As always thank you Isa for your amazing vegan recipes. What a delightful way to spend a rainy Monday…I don’t want to go to work tomorrow, but I look forward to breakfast! 

Vegan Zucchini Bread

Summer is upon us & that means it is squash season!

It’s a good thing I love it, since I received a ton of it in my CSA box yesterday, then came to work today to find that my sweet cousins brought in bags full of zucchini from their lovely organic garden! I have more zucchini than I know what to do with! I guess there is nothing left to do but start cooking & baking! 

zucchini

Fridays are “coffee days” at my school job & every week my supervisor, Andi,  & I treat each other to a coffee drink. This is typically the only day a week I drink coffee, so I always look forward to it! Since we only have 2 weeks left of the school year (meaning I, sadly, have only 2 weeks of employment there) I thought I would make tomorrow extra special by bringing in some “Vegan Zucchini Bread” to accompany our coffee treat! Andi is a fellow vegan (& her darling husband, too) so I know this is a treat she will appreciate! 

Recipe & photos via Hell Yeah It’s Vegan!

Vegan Zucchini Bread

vegan zucchini bread

  • 6 tbsp ground flax seeds whisked into ½ c + 1 tbsp warm water
  • ½ cup oil
  • ½ cup applesauce
  • 2 cups turbinado sugar (or light brown sugar)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2½ cups grated zucchini, packed (~3 medium-sized zucchini)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 Tbsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp nutmeg
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two loaf pans. Grate zucchini. Make sure to pack it before measuring. Mix together flax seed mixture, oil, applesauce, sugar, and vanilla. Add zucchini; stir until combined.
  2. In a separate bowl, sift together remaining dry ingredients. Add to wet and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened & everything is incorporated evenly; some lumps are fine. If adding additional mix-ins, fold them in now. 
  3. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake 45-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Let cool a few minutes before slicing.

Yield: 2 loaves

***Feel free to add in a cup of chocolate chips or raisins; they really fit nicely here. If you want muffins instead, reduce baking time to 30-40 minutes.